Notre Dame's push for a high upside wide receiver has gotten increasingly more difficult during this offseason
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Notre Dame is working hard to put together a tremendous WR haul in the 2027 recruiting class. They could be fading with a top target.
Notre Dame football has had a high opinion of 2027 Malvern (Pa.) Prep wide receiver Cade Cooper for some time now. Even while he had very low rankings and a small list of scholarship offers, head coach Marcus Freeman, wide receivers coach Mike Brown, and the Fighting Irish have valued him tremendously. Cooper is a player that this team has loved.
When Notre Dame landed a commitment from Littleton (Co.) Valor Christian pass catchers Jackson Coleman a couple of weeks ago, and all eyes quickly turned to star Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas wide receiver Julius Jones Jr. and Cooper. Many have believed that the Fighting Irish have been the leader for Cooper for quite some time, yet they haven’t been able to land his commitment. There has been uncertainty over the hangup.
As time goes by, there is less and less confidence that Cooper will eventually end up in the 2027 Notre Dame class. A part of the reason for that is some increased interest in Cooper, including offers from LSU and Ohio State recently. As the demand rises, their chances slowly dissipate.
If Cooper did commit today, I do believe that Notre Dame would be the pick. There has just been no intention to make that decision, and no timetable has been disclosed. At some point, the Irish staff needs to make some decisions, and as we know, this isn’t a program that has typically been open to longer recruitments.
It will be interesting to see the next move from Cooper, especially with Jones Jr. nearing a decision.
Cade Cooper’s recruiting background
Depending on which of the major recruiting platforms you look at, Cooper is rated between a three-star and four-star player, but mostly the former. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, the Pennsylvania native is currently pegged as a four-star, the No. 297 overall player, the No. 37 wide receiver, and the No. 10 player from the state of Pennsylvania for the 2027 recruiting class.
Despite those somewhat underwhelming rankings, Cooper’s offer list has continued to expand quickly over the last couple of months. Some of his top offers now include the Fighting Irish, Georgia, Ohio State, LSU, Penn State, Ole Miss, Auburn, Nebraska, Kentucky, Pitt, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Illinois, Cincinnati, Virginia, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Virginia Tech, Northwestern, Duke, Wake Forest, West Virginia, and Syracuse, among several others.
As a junior, Cooper turned in a good season for Malvern Prep. The 6-3, 192-pound pass catcher managed to haul in 44 receptions for 644 yards and six touchdowns, an average of 14.6 yards per reception. Cooper’s combination of size, twitch, and physicality brings an intriguing skill set for the next level.
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